


heat wave

by damapintada



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambassador Katara (Avatar), Established Relationship, F/M, Firelord Zuko (Avatar), Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Semi-Public Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:22:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29171811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/damapintada/pseuds/damapintada
Summary: On the hottest day of the year, Fire Lord Zuko tries his best to not get distracted by a certain Water Tribe Ambassador during a meeting. As expected, he doesn't succeed.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 176





	heat wave

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ajstyling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ajstyling/gifts).



> a very late three kings day present or a very early valentine's day gift? the world shall never know. this one's for you, dearest aj, who wanted zutara trying not to get caught. hope you enjoy it!!! ❤️

The heat at this time of year in Caldera was oppressive. The monsoon season was upon the Fire Nation, but the first rain had yet to break. According to a report from the University meteorologists, the rain could arrive any day now, perhaps even that very same day. 

At least for that moment however, bright sunlight beamed in through the glass windows of one of the palace’s many boardrooms, clear blue sky with not a cloud in sight. This room in particular was favored by foreign dignitaries to hold their meetings because of its close proximity to both the palace kitchens and one of the royal gardens. Despite the pleasant amenities afforded to the royal palace however, there was no way to help how hot it was. 

Gathered around a table, Fire Lord Zuko’s ambassadors were holding their last meeting before breaking for a short summer recess to return to their nations. The recess usually allowed the foreign nationals to escape the heat, but they were in the middle of a harsh and rather unusually early heatwave right before their break. It seemed that this in particular seemed to add to the tension in the room, where Omashu and Ba Sing Se’s representatives were in the middle of an argument. 

“King Bumi will be displeased to hear that Ba Sing Se is getting competitive pricing for the textiles made in the Fire Nation, Ambassador Tami,” said one of the ambassadors, a squat, middle-aged man named Shindo. His face was red, whether from exertion or the heat, one couldn’t tell. 

“I don’t understand what the issue is. If Ba Sing Se will be the biggest buyer, it only makes sense to incentivize them with fair pricing. This particular fabric is highly prized by the women in the Upper Rings,” Tami replied. She was younger than Shindo, tall, and carried herself with the poise of a high-born noblewoman, but was incredibly no-nonsense in her ambassadorial work. 

“Minister Tanaka, surely there’s something you can do about this?” Shindo asked, head nodding to said Fire Nation minister, who startled at his name. 

“Oh, um, yes, of course, Ambassador,” Tanaka replied, shuffling some papers around in an attempt to make it look like he was following the conversation.

The Fire Lord, for his part, couldn’t blame the minister for not paying attention. This last meeting in particular before the break was a mere formality, and Zuko’s thoughts had been elsewhere since the meeting had begun. A conversation he had at breakfast had been at the forefront of his mind, and the subject of said conversation sat across from him currently. 

Ambassador Katara had been away to one of the outermost islands of the Fire Nation for two weeks, assisting with a minor disease outbreak and helping the local governments with containment and prevention. She had made it back just in time to attend the last meeting before the recess. 

_“I’m sorry I can’t stay for tea this morning,” Katara said, a hand on his shoulder as she leaned in close from behind. “Will I see you at this afternoon’s meeting, Fire Lord?” she asked, voice low and teasing in his ear._

_“I’ll be there,” Zuko said, covering her hand with his. “Anything I need to know about?”_

_“Not in particular,” she gave a light squeeze. “Just that I’m not going to be wearing anything underneath my robes today. Heard it’s going to be a scorcher.”_

_Zuko choked on his tea._

_Katara laughed as she let go of him and walked away. “See you later, Zuko.”_

Zuko had been counting down the hours until he could be alone with her since then, his mind racing with thoughts of what he wanted to do to her. It had been a long two weeks without her, and her words only served to distract him even further. 

He looked at her from across the table. She wore her hair in an updo today, leaving the line of her neck bare. She usually wore Water Tribe styles due to her ambassadorial work, but today she opted for a halter top and sarong more in line with Fire Nation cuts, still in her Water Tribe blues. She wasn’t alone in opting for more weather-appropriate clothing, the usually stuffy Fire Nation ministers were all sporting lighter clothing, the day’s heat doing a number even on them. 

The impending arrival of the monsoon rains made it so that there was an unbearable stickiness in the air, sweat clinging to everyone despite doing nothing but sitting in chairs. His eyes kept returning back to Katara’s bare skin, damp with perspiration and a flush on her cheeks. It was doubly distracting because it reminded him of the way she looked when she was underneath him, worked up because of his hands or mouth on her. The only thing missing was her wanton expression as she came apart for him. 

Her earlier words came back to him again. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath that sarong. Soon, the bells would ring out from the temple signaling that the sun was at its peak and they would break for lunch. He might have time to finger her, work her up enough so that the bright red of her cheeks and the damp locks clinging to her forehead would be because of him and not the heat. She’d been on his mind all morning but the longer the day went on, the more he felt a growing desperation to see her, hear her and feel her around him. He’d been half hard for what felt like hours now, but as time ticked by, he became consumed more and more by thoughts of what he wanted to do to her. 

Currently, a drop of sweat was making its way down the curve of her jaw as she was turned away from him, concentrating on the debate going on. He wanted to lick it off of her, taste the salt of her skin, hear her voice in his ear, urging him on with her breathy moans. 

She must have felt the weight of his gaze on her then, because she turned and locked eyes with him, and gave the tiniest smirk. She knew what she was doing to him. He raised his eyebrow at her and she bit her lip, her eyes darkening. _Oh, so this is the game she wanted to play, huh?_

He trailed his gaze down with purpose, making sure she was watching him as he stared at her chest for a moment before meeting her eyes again. She shifted in her seat. He couldn’t help but to give her a smirk of his own, knowing that he was having the same effect on her as she had on him. The tie of her halter top looked like it could be undone quickly, if— 

“Your Majesty?” Tanaka was looking at him, as if waiting for a response. He felt his neck starting to burn, embarrassed at being caught distracted. The two Earth Kingdom representatives looked at him in question, Ambassador Tami staring at him with crossed arms and a raised brow, unamused that he wasn’t paying attention. 

Zuko cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, Minister Tanaka, could you repeat your question?”

“We wondered if you have any input regarding the textile pricing,” Tanaka explained.

“Seeing as you’re the minister of trade, I defer to your good judgment, Minister Tanaka, as you would have a more detailed knowledge on the intricacies of the textile business,” Zuko deflected. 

Tanaka pursed his lips. Clearly this was not the answer he was looking for. “Very well. Thank you for regarding me so highly, Your Majesty.” He opened his mouth to speak once more, glancing at the Earth Kingdom representatives, before closing it. 

Ambassador Shindo took this as his cue to continue the argument, immediately piping up. 

“Well, I just don’t see why—”

Zuko let out a breath, tuning him out. While still embarrassed that he was caught out, he was beyond caring anymore, content to let the ambassador run his mouth until it was time for lunch. He snuck a glance at the windows again. Some clouds had rolled in, obscuring the sun, but he figured there were probably 45 minutes left until the break. He looked at Katara again, an amused smile playing at her face. She glanced around, making sure no one was looking at her, before she stretched her arms behind her back, giving Zuko a more uninterrupted view of the bared skin of her torso, the curve of her breasts outlined against the fabric of her top before she relaxed again. He told her one night, long ago, under the influence of more than a few glasses of alcohol, that watching her stretch after she was done waterbending often got him riled up. He pulled at the collar of his shirt, remembering the intensity that resulted from their trysts after a good spar session. He swallowed thickly. The corner of her mouth quirked up in another smirk, her eyes on his throat. 

The boardroom seemed to be getting hotter, he noted, as he felt a drop of sweat trickle down the back of his neck. Was Katara looking at him with the same thoughts that he had earlier? With the predatory look on her face, it seemed like she was ready to pounce on him any second. 

Spirits, he wanted her. He felt his cock stirring even further in his pants, and tried to distract himself from grabbing her then and fucking her right then in front of the rest of the ambassadors and his ministers. He tore his eyes away from her with a huff, glancing outside the window again. More clouds had gathered in the sky, some of them gray, he noted. He looked around the room, everyone watching the argument still taking place between Tami and Shindo with disinterested looks. His gaze landed back on Katara, who was still watching him. She had been worrying at her bottom lip with her teeth, before she let it go with a sigh. Her lips were red and shiny now, and he could just imagine himself taking her by the chin and opening her mouth up, his cock sliding between her lips, his hand buried in her hair while she looked up at him on her knees. Her eyes would be wide and pleading, egging him on to fuck her face and he— 

Shit. 

His mouth had gone dry, and he brought a hand up to grip at the edge of the table, while the other tried to discreetly adjust the strain in his pants. His dangerous thoughts combined with the increasing humidity of air were starting to become suffocating. He glanced at Katara again, the unmistakable glint of desire in her eyes. She shifted in her seat again. 

Zuko took a drink of water from the glass in front of him, trying in vain to cool himself down. He squeezed his eyes shut for a brief moment before opening them again and focusing on the meeting again. Impossibly, the two Earth Kingdom ambassadors were _still_ arguing, spirits, how long could these people go on about fucking textiles? He groaned internally and tried to focus somewhere else. Away from the table, he spotted a desk that was pushed up against a bookcase, where the official recorder was sat with a brush and inks, taking notes of everything that was said during the meeting. The recorder was a younger woman, diligently keeping up with the back and forth between the two ambassadors. If Zuko concentrated, he could even hear the drops of ink falling back onto the ink stone as she dipped her brush in to replenish it. He focused on the sound to try and ground himself. 

His eyes went back to the window again. The sky was getting darker with gray clouds. _Drip._

He glanced back to the discussion again. He wasn’t paying attention to the words, but Ambassador Shindo’s face had gotten so red that it looked like his face was about to burst. The normally cool Tami looked as if she was struggling to keep her composure, a little vein on her forehead popping out. _Drip._

He snuck a glimpse at Katara, who to his surprise, wasn’t looking at him anymore, but back at the two ambassadors with a tense expression. _Drip._

He decided that he should tune into this conversation to see what everyone was upset about. _Drip._

“—should look into why exactly Ambassador Tami is getting such _favorable_ deals, while we are not,” Shindo hissed. _Drip._

“What are you trying to say, Ambassador Shindo?” Tami asked, her voice tight. The vein on her forehead protruded a bit more. _Drip._

Zuko’s eyebrow furrowed. Everyone was waiting to hear the response, at the edges of their seat after hours of boredom. It was silent, except for the now audible strokes of brush on parchment, and then a subsequent _drip._

“Well,” Shindo started, “Ambassador Tami is a female after all, perhaps she was using her feminine wiles on Minister Tanaka, like some kind of _hussy—_ ” 

_“Enough!”_ Katara’s voice rang out, her hands slamming on the table as she stood up. “Ambassador, how dare you imply that simply being a woman would mean that Ambassador Tami would act improperly to gain an advantage?” 

Everyone in the room turned to look at her then, surprised at the force of her outburst. Her eyes shone with fury as she regarded him. The sunlight in the room had all but disappeared, throwing menacing shadows onto Katara’s face. “You seem to forget that I know King Bumi personally. He would hate to hear reports of the vulgar accusations his ambassador is throwing at other foreign dignitaries, wouldn’t he?” 

Shindo eyes shifted back and forth, his forehead sweating profusely. “I don’t—”

Katara’s voice cut him off. “Or if that isn’t enough, I’m sure he’d also love to know that his representative to the Fire Nation is too busy getting drunk in the evenings to prepare sufficiently to broker trade deals. What was that you were saying about impropriety, Ambassador?” She tilted her head in question at him. He gaped at her, too stunned to make a response. 

Ambassador Tami cleared her throat. “Thank you, Ambassador Katara.” She turned to Shindo. “I trust you have no more questions about the textile prices, Ambassador Shindo?” 

His mouth stood shut. 

“Excellent,” Tami said, clapping her hands together. She looked back at Katara, who gave her a nod and sat back down. 

Zuko turned to Katara in awe. He absolutely loved when she took officials apart like this, it was equal parts terrifying and arousing to see her at work. He felt whatever resolve he had built up melt away again. He needed to have her, and the look she threw his way told him that she was feeling much the same. 

He looked out the window again, but this time the sky was nearly black with storm clouds, the sun completely hidden. Still, he held out hope that the midday bells would start at any minute, and he was rewarded when he heard the rings echoing throughout the temples. 

It seemed as if the boardroom let out a collective sigh of relief at the signal that it was mealtime. They were drenched with sweat, and they all stood up, starting to gather their things to head to the nearby palace kitchens, or back to their chambers to freshen up. 

Zuko stood up as well, then. “Ambassador Katara,” he called. She turned to him, addressing him with a nod and an amused smirk. “Fire Lord Zuko.”

“Would you mind staying behind a moment? I wanted to discuss the medical situation in the outer islands with you, since you just got back,” he explained. No one was paying any attention to them, too busy trying to take their leave, but he wanted to have an alibi just in case.   
Katara smiled. “Of course.” It seemed like hours passed before Zuko heard the click of the door after the last person had left, and he pounced. 

He pushed Katara back until the back of her legs hit the desk the scribe was sitting at just minutes before, lifting her up onto it and bringing their lips together into a fierce, messy kiss, Katara’s hands grabbing at his hair as she moaned into his mouth. They broke apart briefly, Zuko’s hands squeezing her thighs as he panted against her lips, their foreheads pressed together. 

“We have fifteen minutes at best, but I can’t wait anymore,” he said in a hurried whisper. 

“Fuck me, Zuko, please,” she said, and he broke. He wrapped one arm around her waist, supporting her, while his other traveled up her leg and beneath the hem of her sarong. She was bare underneath, just as she had told him at breakfast, and he groaned. His hand reached the juncture of her thighs, finding her already wet and ready for him. 

“Fuck, Katara,” he said, his mouth against her neck. “You got worked up like this thinking about me?” 

“Yes,” she breathed out. He slid the fabric of her skirt so that it bunched against her hips, and her hands came down to the front of his robes, already knowing exactly where to unbutton so that she could slip his cock out. She gave him a few quick tugs before pulling him closer, her leg coming up to wrap around his hips. He pushed inside of her, knowing they didn’t have much time, and started fucking her with a hurried pace. Katara leaned back onto the desk on her elbows, her mouth open and small gasps coming out of her mouth. Zuko moved in closer, bringing a hand between them, wanting Katara to get off quickly. His thumb brushed her clit and Katara let out a sharp whine, her cry ringing out in the empty boardroom. 

“You’ve gotta be quiet for me, or else we’re gonna get caught,” he said to her, his voice a rasp. 

Katara’s eyes flashed at his words, and she let out another whine as if to challenge him. He groaned and grabbed at her hips, trying to thrust in deeper, the desk beneath them starting to creak with their movements. The thought of someone walking in on them spurred him on, and he could tell it had an effect on Katara too, her quiet gasping morphing into small whimpers. He began to lose himself in the feel of her, fucking into her harder as she clenched around his cock. 

“You feel so good,” he whispered, “So tight just for me.” 

“Zuko,” she panted, “harder, come on.”

He obliged her, and the room was filled with the sounds of their skin slapping together, Katara’s breathy moans, and the rhythm of the desk hitting the bookcase. He loved watching her like this, hair damp against her forehead, her eyes glazed, mouth open and wanton for him. He felt a thrill of possessiveness take over him then, wanting more, more, more. Distantly, he could hear the rattle of the books on their shelves as he drove into her faster, a drop of sweat falling from his brow. 

A knock was heard at the door.

They froze. 

A beat, and then another knock. 

“Fire Lord Zuko?” a voice called from the door. 

Katara stared up at him with wide eyes, Zuko imagined his expression mirrored hers before he caught himself, bringing his finger to his lips. 

“I’m in the middle of a meeting, what is it?” he called out. 

Katara looked at him with a raised brow. He was still inside of her, and an idea occurred to him. He began rocking his hips again slowly, bringing a hand between them, his thumb starting to rub slow circles on her clit. 

“Oh,” she gasped, her voice echoing in the empty room. He covered her mouth with his free hand and her eyes glinted with something akin to defiance. 

“We wondered where His Majesty would like to take his lunch? Shall we have it set it up here?” The voice replied, muted through the thick wood of the door. 

Katara’s eyes were shut now, and he felt more than heard her muffled moan against his hand as he continued teasing her with his fingers. 

“No, I’m going to wrap things up soon here,” he answered, his eyes still on Katara. Her hands were gripping onto the edge of the desk, white-knuckled. Her thighs flexed as she struggled to get more friction against him. He could tell that she was getting close. 

“Fire Lord Zuko?” He forgot there was someone at the door. “Where should we have it prepared then?” 

“I’ll um—” he bit back a moan as Katara clenched around him. He felt her lips curl into a smirk as she looked up at him with a glassy eyed stare. “I’ll take it in my private study, thank you—” 

“Very well, Your Majesty,” the attendant said. He shut his eyes and strained to hear the footsteps walking away, Katara’s pulsing walls around his cock proving to be a distraction. When the coast was clear, he let go of her mouth and picked up where he had left off, Katara’s actions inciting him even further. 

“You little tease,” he growled. “You like that? Knowing that we could get caught?” 

Katara bit her lip as the desk started slamming into the bookcase again with the force of his thrusts. 

“You wanted someone to walk in and see me taking you right on this desk, didn’t you?” 

Her foot found its way to his ass, trying to press him in closer, before she tilted her chin up at him.

“And what about it? I know you like it too,” she said, her voice breathless. Her speech was punctuated with gasps as he continued. “What would all those ambassadors think—” her eyes shut for a moment, “—seeing the Fire Lord like this?”

Zuko groaned, pulling her closer to him. They were both desperate and so, so close, the thrill of discovery bringing them to the edge. He felt Katara’s lips at his ear. 

“Such little self control—” her breath came out in puffs against his skin, sending a shiver down his spine. “—couldn’t wait another second to fuck me,” she whispered. 

A book fell and slammed to the floor, it’s pages fluttering open, but they paid no mind to it, too wrapped up in each other to notice. Katara clutched at Zuko’s shoulders, any semblance of teasing between them gone as they both approached climax. He could feel her tightening around him again. 

“Right there, yes,” Katara whimpered, nails digging into his skin through the fabric of his robes. “Oh,” she cried out, and he felt her tense up as she bit down onto his neck. One of her hands reached out, tugging on the length of his hair running down his back. The prick of pain at his neck and his scalp, combined with the feel of her pulsing around him as she rode out her release prove to be too much for him, and he found himself crashing over along with her, his hips stuttering as he spilled inside of her with a grunt. 

They struggled to catch their breaths, their skin stuck to each other from the mugginess that still clung to the air. He was loath to get off of her, but he knew that they had precious little time left. Still, he wanted to just savor these last few moments, pressing a kiss to her shoulder, before the sound of thunder clapping startled them both. 

Their heads turned to the window just as the first few drops of the monsoon season started pelting against the glass. 

“Finally,” Katara murmured. Their eyes met again and Zuko couldn’t help but laugh at Katara’s disheveled state, though he couldn’t imagine that he looked any better. Another knock was heard at the door, and this time, they scrambled off of each other. He slipped out of her and tucked himself back in as Katara hurried to the windowsill, her legs wobbling as she stood. He spotted the glimmer of slick spread on her thighs before it disappeared as her skirt fell back into place. She turned so that her back faced the door. 

Zuko cleared his throat. “Come in,” he said, spotting the book that had fallen and reaching over to put it back into its spot on the shelf as the door opened.

“Why is it so dark—oh, your Majesty, I apologize. I didn’t realize you were still in here.” It was the young scribe from earlier. “I just came to collect something I forgot in my desk.” 

“Not a problem at all, Master Katara and I were just finishing up in here. Please, go ahead,” he said, waving her in. 

“Thank you, it’ll only take a second,” she told him, making a beeline for the very same desk that Zuko was fucking Katara on just moments earlier. He cringed inwardly, hoping to every spirit that she didn’t notice anything amiss. 

“Master Katara, we should be taking our leave now, shouldn’t we?”

Katara turned on her heel, avoiding eye contact as she grabbed Zuko’s arm and marched him towards the exit. “That’s right. See you soon, Kisa,” she called over her shoulder to the scribe. 

A drawer being opened and Kisa’s cry of “My inks!” was the only thing heard as the door shut behind them. 

“Do you think she’ll rat us out?” Katara looked up at him as they rushed through the empty corridor. 

“Don’t know, but that was close,” he told her. “Think I’m going to have to punish you for that later.” 

“Oh, are you?” Katara said, “Is that so, Mr. _I-can’t-wait-any-longer?_ ” 

Zuko checked that the hallways were clear before pinning her up against the nearest wall. His lips were a hair's breadth away from hers, and his hand skirted the curves of her body before palming her breast. She gasped. 

“Do you know how hard it was to sit through that meeting after what you said this morning? You knew what you were doing,” he said, voice just quiet enough for her to hear. “I’m going to have you begging for me tonight.” 

The look on Katara’s face told him that was exactly what she had wanted.

**Author's Note:**

> concrit or corrections always welcome! i'm also on [tumblr](https://ladamapintada.tumblr.com) if you wanna say hi!


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